Earlier in the week after taking advise from the BBC weather app, Thursday (today) was going to be a bright and sunny day, due to the high pressure which is currently hovering over the country. Therefore, we planned to visit the gardens at RHS Harlow Carr, as it was over three months since our last visit.

Contrary to the predicted weather forecast on arrival at the gardens it turned out to be a dull, cloudy and overcast morning. 11c, with a cold westerly breeze and drizzle in the air.

Weather aside, we had a lovely morning at the gardens. It was very busy due mainly to it being half term week and had to park in the overflow carpark, which wasn’t really a problem.

On arrival I popped into Bettys for a takeout coffee before passing through the reception area and onto the concourse and walking down the steps into the gardens. The view from the top of the steps looking down towards the Riverside stream looked as beautiful as ever, but today the autumnal colours created a completely different perspective to the landscape. We followed our usual route heading towards the Learning Centre and sunken Victorian garden, of note were the Dalias adding a late splash of colour in the borders around the back of the restaurant and the Grasses opposite the learning centre gently swaying in the fresh morning breeze. For me though the real stars of the show were the bigger Acers, Maples and Crab Apple trees, the latter bare of leaf but covered in bright red fruit. The autumnal colours around the sunken pond came to the fore on our visit. The golden-brown grasses around the water’s edge complemented the green conifers on the banking at the rear. Crossing the Tiormina Bridge we paused for a few moments to admire the view across Queen Mothers lake looking back towards the restaurant. Although it was quite a dull morning the view is still impressive. We continued our route around the lake to the Streamside Walk. Again, much of the planting had died back but many of the shrubs were still in leaf adding lots of colour to the streamside. We had a browse in the Old Bath House which has been hosting an Autumn Craft fair all month which finishes this weekend, lots of prints, crafts, table decorations and woodwork on display to name just a few of the crafts. On leaving the Bath House we headed over to Bettys Tea House for brunch before continuing our walk along the opposite side of the stream, pausing every now and then at the amazing autumnal colours. At the Geoffrey Smith memorial stone, we followed the path up the slope into the Sandstone rock garden. A gentleman was sat on a bench overlooking one of the ponds, busily sketching a drawing on a large pad of paper. The views through the trees looking across the ponds were beautiful, everywhere you turned there was another autumnal view. From here it is just a short walk to the garden centre and our exit. I would have liked to have stayed a little longer but having picked up a cold from somewhere earlier in the week was beginning to flag a little, so we decided to call it a day and head for home.